New Jersey - Sandy Hook Lighthouse

The Sandy Hook Lighthouse is located on the grounds of Fort Hancock, NJ. This lighthouse is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in the United States. New York merchants petitioned their assembly to raise money for the light by conducting lotteries and charging tonnage taxes on ships entering NY. The lighthouse was built in 1764 and has since undergone reconstruction to ensure continued operation. The Federal Government formed the U.S. Lighthouse Service, which was later incorporated into the U.S. Coast Guard, to operate the light and all other aids to navigation on U.S. waters.

This lighthouse is 29-feet in diameter at the base and 15-feet in diameter at the top. In the lantern room is a 45,000 candlepower light which is 85-feet above the ground and can be seen for 19 miles. Sandy Hook Lighthouse is a reminder of our rich maritime history, and it is an important aid to navigation at the entrance to the New York Harbor.

Sandy Hook was registered as a National Historic Landmark in 1964. The U.S. Coast Guard transferred ownership of the lighthouse to the National Park Service in 1996. At the time of my visit here in 2001, this was still an active lighthouse.

New Jersey - Navesink (Twinlight) Lighthouse

The Navesink (Twinlight) is located in Highlands, NJ and overlooks the entrance to the New York Bay. In 1862 two brownstone towers were built to replace the original octagonal towers built in 1828. The north tower is octagonal, and the south tower is square. These "twin" towers are 64-feet high and 320-feet apart. They are connected by an 18 room keeper's and crew dwelling. The towers are approximately 246-feet above sea level. In 1898 the north tower, octagonal, was discontinued but it was held in reserve as an emergency light.

Twin Lights holds a prominent place in American maritime history as the first lighthouse to use the Fresnel lens. In 1841 a French "first order" fixed light was placed in the south tower (square), and a "second order" revolving light in the north tower. In 1898 an enormous electric-arc bivalve lens, measuring nine feet in diameter, replaced the south tower beehive-type light. To illuminate this new lens, the Lighthouse Service built an electric generator house on site, and made Navesink Light the only shore station having a plant for electric generation. It was estimated that the candle power was 25,000,000, which made it the most powerful coastal light in the United States. The revolving light (due to the curvature of the earth) could be seen about 22 miles at sea. Its beam reported to have been observed in the sky at a distance of 70 nautical miles.

With improvement in floating aids (Lightships, Radar, etc.) the lighthouse lost some of its early importance. The south tower continued to operate until 1949 when it was changed to "Unwatched" and then discontinued in 1952. It was used as a day beacon until 1963. The light in the North Tower was taken out of service, but was re-lit in 1962 with a smaller commemorative light. At the time of my visit here in 2001, the commemorative light was still active. The lighthouse complex and grounds were owned and operated by the state of New Jersey, and part of the complex contained a museum.